Down to Sleep
by eyesonwind
Summary: Evan 'Tai' Braun is an American who moves to Japan with his father's work. After an accident, he finds himself diagnosed with a terrifying illness that threatens his every sleeping hour. Sent to Yamaku to continue his education and give him the best chances at survival, can he face the day living in fear of the night?
1. Act One, Episode I

**Author's Note**

**Welcome, dear reader, and thank you for reading my opening fanfic. First off, let me make it clear- I'm doing this to work on my writing, so be mean. If you think there's something to improve, tell me. If you find anything unsatisfactory, make sure you say it. Compliments can come later, as can suggestions on what I should emphasize and personal input, including ideas and general opinions. As an FYI, I plan on making future chapters longer. This one ends here because I feel like adding more would be unnecessary, and would interrupt the story's flow. Think of it as a prologue of sorts, which it is.**

**I plan to have this split into 4 acts (like KS) with at least 3 episodes per act. As of now, act one is projected to have 4, though that could easily grow in number. I don't know for sure where this story is headed, but I can promise that there will be no Yaoi. The T rating may or may not change, even if I do finalize a relationship. I'm double- and triple- checking my medical facts, so this is as accurate as I can make it without knowing the first thing about medicine. Tai's condition does exist, though his chances of having it are, in reality, almost nonexistant.**

**If you have any questions, ask. Criticisms, shoot. Compliments... only if you have criticism to go with it. Suggestions, go ahead. Facts that I missed, please. Now, before I go any further, I'll let you get to the story. Enjoy.**

Act 1: Nightfall

Episode I: Sunset

"_Now I lay me down to sleep,_

_I pray the Lord my soul to keep._

_If I shall die before I wake,_

_I pray the Lord my soul to take"_

- Christian Children's Bedtime Prayer

My name's Tai. Well, Evan, technically, but I go by Tai. Tai Braun. I'm American, I go to school in Japan, and I might die tonight. Well, any night really, but tonight at earliest. Wouldn't be the first time either.

Sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start my story at the beginning, more or less.

Here's the scene; I'm on my bike, really nice racing type. I'm practically flying down this steep hill. I'm not just coasting either. I'm full on pedaling, head low, arms in, aerodynamic as I can get. I'm sure this thing would be gliding if it had big enough wings, or at least veering off the road. As it is, I'm zooming by everything. The grass growing by the road is just a blur of green, and the trees just splotches of color. I must be going at least 40 miles an hour. I can't make out anything beside me. The wind is roaring in my ears and whipping through my hair, slicking the normally unruly brown mass back, where it stays as though held in place with gel.

I'm probably going too fast.

I reach the bottom of the hill and shoot up the next. In a flash, I'm once again barreling downhill. I honestly don't know what's gotten into me. Usually I take it easy down these hills for fear of oncoming traffic or losing control. I remember how uncomfortable it was when I first moved here to Japan from America. My dad had just gotten a promotion, and his salary shot up. He loved his job as a programmer, and the opportunity to make more money to better support his family was the kind of thing he'd always dreamed of. I'll skip the boring parts, but suffice it to say that we were a little lost at first. It took a lot to adapt- I even changed my name- but we managed, and now, with one year left of high school, I'm feeling pretty confident. That, on top of just recently having gotten this pretty nice bike, probably helps explain why I'm being so reckless now. Still…

I'm probably going too fast.

I don't think I really care. Some part of me might, but it got outvoted a long time ago. I'm enjoying this immensely, flying down this hill like I am. I feel so free. So uninhibited. I could get used to feeling like this. That's when it hit me.

Well, more like I hit it. I think it's a car. Not sure. If it was, it couldn't have been moving. My bike stops immediately. The same can't be said for me. I'm sailing through the air uncontrollably. I see something brown for just a moment.

I'm probably going too fa-

-o-O-o-

I can't move. I'm in a bed. It smells like antiseptic. The lights are too bright. My head hurts. I'm hungry. This isn't my room.

What happened?

I remember… a hill… Moving… A bike... Riding my bike down a hill? Sounds about right. Speed. A lot of it. Riding fast. Then… something. Something happened, and I don't remember. A crash? That would explain why I can't remember anything, after all…

Oh. I'm in a hospital. Yep, I crashed. I look around. Well, I can see why I can't move. Both my legs and my right arm are wrapped at least partially in casts. I can't bend my neck to look though, since I'm also in a neck brace, limiting where I can look. I can't tell if there's anything on my head. I don't feel anything, but that could be just as bad as good. I'm on a sea-foam green bed, surrounded by sea-foam green curtains, probably above a sea-foam green mat on top of sea-foam green tiles. There's a steady beeping sound to my right.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I just lay there, listening to the sounds of the hospital.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I need a doctor. Someone to tell me what's happening.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Wow. That's going to get old fast.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Please stop.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"I get it, I'm alive. Shut up."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I sigh in exasperation. I hate machines sometimes. Apparently my request wasn't totally useless though, as I hear steps coming closer to me. A moment later, the curtain opens. It's a man. Tall, soft, and clean shaven. His name tag tells me he's a doctor, though I assumed as much from the sea-foam green medical scrubs.

What is it with hospitals and that color?

He's a gentle-looking man. He looks young for a doctor. Either he's brilliant, or he just looks young. Either is welcoming in a hospital.

"Ah, Mr. Braun. You're awake. Excellent. How do you feel?"

He seems nice

"Uhh… my head hurts a little. Kinda hungry."

"Sounds like you're doing fine, then. You broke a few bones in your arms and legs. Nothing unfixable, fortunately. You took a nasty hit to the head, however, and cracked two vertebra. We're going to have to check for any brain damage. Fortunately, you were wearing a helmet. If you hadn't been, I doubt you'd be doing so well right now."

Oh. Wow. Thanks mom.

"So… how bad is it?"

The doctor smiles. "Not as bad as it might look. You seem to be okay for the most part. I'm a little worried about your neck, and like I said, we need to check for brain damage, but I'm guessing you'll be fine and back on your feet in a few months. You're actually quite lucky, I think."

Haha. Lucky. Yeah, maybe. Lucky and stupid. At least I'll be better.

"How long do I have to stay here?" I ask, already seeing a glimpse of how boring this could get.

The doctor keeps smiling. "Hopefully, no more than a week. We just need to make sure that your brain and spine will be okay before we can let you leave. Don't want to take any unnecessary risks with your safety, after all."

A week. I can live with that.

The doctor leaves. I have a little more time to look around the room. I was wrong about the floor; the tiles are white. Still, there's more green than makes for an acceptable color scheme outside a hospital, so it more than looks the part. I've wondered from time to time why hospitals are always so green before I remembered that I don't really care. The room is empty, save for me. I wonder briefly why the curtain was drawn. It's not like there's anyone in here to take away from my privacy. I resume looking around. There's a television and a remote lying on a table to my left, next to my unbroken arm. I'm glad they thought to put it on an available side, but I haven't watched television since elementary school. I'm more a player than a viewer, so I'm more drawn to games than shows, movies or books. I don't particularly like being railroaded into things. Never have.

The machine measuring my heart keeps beeping. I guess it's here in case there was more to me than some broken bones. It's neither particularly reassuring nor worrying, since it means two things; there could be more wrong with me than just broken bones, and if anything happens, the doctors will hear. I settle for naming it Robert, and strike up a conversation.

"So, Robby- can I call you Robby?- how's life?"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"I see. Well, I'll leave you to it."

I'm such a loser. I'm already bored. I don't think I've been alone for 2 minutes yet, and I'm already talking to the hospital equipment to entertain myself. Okay, I'm going to not be pathetic for at least the first day and figure out something to do. Fortunately, a nurse comes by in a few minutes with some food. I ask if there's anything around I could use to keep entertained. The only games are board games, I verify, and there's little media outside general television. There are books, however. Eh. I never said I hated reading. Since I can't exactly walk, I ask the nurse to bring me a few fiction books. I ask for several mostly to save him the trip, since I'm not a particularly fast reader, but also so that I'll have some selection. Like I said- I don't like being railroaded into decisions.

I look through the stack. I haven't read any of them, which is good, since I can't stand rereading books. Most of them look decent, so I start off with a mostly standard fantasy story about a young soldier-in-training who learns he's a wizard and ends up in the middle of a war. It's as standard as I expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm enjoying it, though I do get interrupted a few chapters in when my part-worried, part-angry parents come to tell me how glad they are I'm alright and how stupid of me it was to get into the accident in the first place. I listen patiently, understanding their concern and promising I won't be so reckless again. They ask if I want them to bring anything, but I decline. I figure I can go a week game-free. I haven't read much outside of school recently, and while it's far from a passion of mine, it is something I enjoy doing from time to time.

I spend the next several days alternately reading, sleeping, and eating, in no particular order. I eventually run out of books, since I'd had so much time to read them and I'd only had a relatively small pile to begin with. Fortunately, I'm able to restock on them after a nurse comes in to check on me, and I resume the cycle. Finally, I get the news from the doctor that I'll be free to leave tomorrow. I'm excited, mostly because I'm tired of sitting in the hospital doing nothing. Sure, I may not be any more active at home, but I'll at least be there. It gets kind of lonely just having my parents as visitors, and hospital food only goes so far. Besides, breaks are much shorter in most other countries than they are in America, and Japan Is no exception. I don't really want to spend the last bit here in the hospital. So, comforted by the fact that I'll be out tomorrow, I finish the book I'm on and call it a day. Sweet dreams, me.

-o-O-o-

My eyes shoot open. Everything is blurry. I can't see. My chest feels like it's going to explode. The normally steady beeps are racing. The beep seems to catch on something. It draws out, and doesn't end when it should. My vision goes black…

Eyes open. More fast beeping. Everything's still blurry. I hear some muffled sounds. The only thing I can hear clearly is the beeping sound. Another long beep. Darkness…

Eyes. I'm going to explode. I can't see. Can't hear anything but the beep. What's happening.

Darkness.

My eyes shoot open once again. What. Is. Happening. The beeping is going so fast. Then... it slows down. Beep. Beep. Beep. I hear words, but they sound so far away.

"…stable. Get his shirt…"

Dark.

-o-O-o-

I wake up again. I can see clearly. I hear someone speaking, a male. Probably a doctor. I listen in.

"-Blood tests were inconclusive. We can't say for sure what exactly happened just yet. We have a few theories, but it's too early to jump to any conclusions. We'll keep a watch on him, see if we can find out what caused it."

What? What happened? What's going on?

"H-hello?" I can't manage more than a rough whisper.

"Hmm? Ah, he's awake. Welcome back. You had us all worried there. How do you feel?"

"Feel? Err, fine. What happened?"

The doctor presses his lips together grimly before he responds. This is bad.

"Your heart stopped as you slept. We don't know whether or not it's related to your accident yet. It may have been, but there's also a chance that the only reason you're still alive is because you crashed in the first place and wound up here."

I can't think of anything to say in reply. My heart stopped? Just like that? What… how…

"I'm sorry to say that until we can figure out what happened, we're going to need to keep you here under close watch in case it happens again. I'm sorry."

"You mean… I had a heart attack?"

The doctor shook his head.

"No. A heart attack is one thing. There was no warning in your case. One moment your heartbeat was completely normal, the next it had completely stopped without warning."

My heart stopped? Just stopped? No heart attack? No warning?

…

I could have died. I nearly did.

No warning…

In case it happens again…

Oh god.

"How… how long?" I ask. "How long… will it take?"

The doctor looks grim.

"I don't know. It depends on what it is, what we can find, and whether or not it shows any symptoms. It could be days, it could be months. I'm sorry."

I stare at him.

"So I'm here… indefinitely."

"Yes. Indefinitely."

-o-O-o-

A day passes, then two. Tests come in a series of wraps, tablets, probes and needles, and by day three they're no closer to an answer than they started. Three days become a week, then two weeks. By now they're monitoring brain activity, trying to come up with something. Anything. Tests are becoming less frequent as avenues of investigation dry up. I'm left with more and more free time. No, not free time. Free implies choice. Free implies possibility, freedom. No, this isn't free time. It's down time at best. Unused time. Wasted time, even. Whatever it is, it's not free time. Of that I'm sure.

School starts. I don't. While the students at my school are no doubt complaining about homework and new teachers, I'm here taking test after test, none for credit. I envy them, having the luxury to complain about little things. Did I do well on that assignment? The history teacher gives so much homework.

It disgusts me.

Will I see tomorrow morning? Can my heart stop during the day too? What else could be wrong with me?

It's not fair.

By the end of the first month, only a few possibilities haven't been ruled out.

"There really aren't any symptoms for whatever your son has. The most likely diagnoses we can come up with is that your son suffers from sudden unexpected nocturnal death syndrome. It's a rare genetic disorder that causes those with it to simply die in their sleep after their heart stops without warning. It's extremely rare, but its only real symptom is death, exactly like what Tai has. Nothing else fully explains the sudden condition. He has no abnormalities with his brain or spinal cord that we can see, so it wasn't the accident. It may sound ironic, but your son may be one of the single luckiest human beings alive. We very nearly let him out the night right before this all happened."

Some luck.

"Is there a cure? Please, tell us there's a cure! We'll do anything!"

My parents beg the doctor for ages. He responds that there isn't.

"The only way people survive SUNDS is by sheer luck or by direct medical intervention. There are steps we can take to minimize the risk, such as giving him an ICD, a type of defibrillator that must be surgically implanted, but otherwise there isn't much we can do."

"What can we do? There must be something we can do. Anything!"

The doctor thinks for a moment.

"Other than the ICD, the only way to give your son the best chances of survival is to keep him in an environment where he can be consistently monitored."

Constantly monitored? How? My parents wonder the same thing.

"A setting where there will always be someone to check in on him, like in a hospital or nursing home, for example."

Nursing home? Like for old people?

"But… How will he finish his schooling?"

Is that really the logical next step? School? The doctor pauses.

"Most schools have some sort of program for the disabled, but I'll admit your son has a special case. There is one school in particular that I know of, however, that's designed to accommodate a plethora of medical disabilities. They provide services from more common issues like blindness to major degenerative diseases like autoimmune disease."

I blink. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that much, but it never struck me that there would be a school designed specifically for people who were dying. Well, dying and disabled, but it's the fact that the school takes the dying as well that makes me think. Who pays to educate someone who'll be dead in a few years? My parents ask. I can already see where this is going.

"It's a place called Yamaku Academy. It's actually not all that far from here, all things considered. It's only a few hours from here by train. It's a private academy, of course, and I won't try to hide the fact that it's quite expensive for more than one reason. I'm sure you understand. It is, however, equipped with 24-hour nursing staff and is only a few minutes away from a rather respected hospital."

"Do you think that this place… Yamku Academy-"

"Yamaku."

"Yamaku, sorry. Do you think that Yamaku Academy will be able to… support our son?"

"If anywhere can accommodate him, it will be Yamaku Academy. It spends a great deal of its endowment on making sure it has the finest equipment, faculty and staff available."

I'm dying of a rare genetic disorder, and your first and foremost concern is having me go to school. I'm sorry, but this just feels bizarre. How about finding out what it'll take to get that ICD thing first? How about figuring out if I'll ever be safe sleeping again?

Parents.

"How much will it cost?"

"I can't say, but I could give you their number for you to get in contact with them."

"Yes. Yes. Of course. While we're at it, how soon can we have that thing you mentioned earlier. The surgery?"

"The soonest, I think, is three days from now. We'll need time to get everything ready and in one place, and to make sure we have enough skilled surgeons available."

Three days? Okay. I think I can stay up that long.

Then I go back to school.

Yeah. Lucky. Thanks a lot, universe.


	2. Act One, Episode II

**Author's Note**

**Hey everyone. I know I said I wouldn't get updates in too quickly. I wasn't lying. Rather, I stayed up until 5 this morning, struck by the muses, and in a few hours I had 20 handwritten pages of content. I spent all day today typing and revising and otherwise completely wasting a Saturday in hopes that you'll enjoy these next few thousand words. I'm hoping people will complain to me on this chapter, since I was getting pretty tired towards the end, and there's bound to be at least one error. My mind is fried... Which means I'm not putting the next one up until at least Monday/ early Tuesday at earliest. I think I deserve a break.**

**If you have any problems, please tell me. Find any errors, go ahead. At least tell me something you'd like to see me improve, such as my descriptions or my comma use, which can both be a bit spotty at times. Anyway, enough of me talking about my problems. Let's get back to Tai's.**

Act One: Nightfall

Episode II: Dusk

I haven't been out of the hospital for a day yet and I'm already sick of this wheelchair. You wouldn't think that a train ride followed by taking a taxi into town would really give someone enough time to become bitter to a wheelchair, but it was more than enough for me. I kept getting looks on the way as people watched the poor crippled kid with a broken everything being pushed around by his mother in a wheelchair since he can't do it himself.

It's infuriating.

I think about the last month spent alternately lying down and sitting in a bed, effectively confined to one room unless some hospital attendant had the courtesy to wheel me out somewhere. As soon as I get out of this wheelchair, I'm never sitting down again.

…

Oh, who am I kidding? I'll go right back to being lazy.

I'm still going to be bitter about it, though.

I look at the people sitting in the train, trying hard to look at anything but the cast-mummy entombed within his little chair. I can see them glance my way, only to look away in shame. No one wants to look at a cripple. It's strange. You wonder what made them that way. You pity them. You feel bad for pitying them, knowing they'd be embarrassed by it and want you to stop. That's how these people feel. In a way, I'm glad they can't see the recent scars left by my ICD. The precise but scattered stitches make it look like something attacked me, but no. I was cut open like some kind of human fillet not to do damage, but to stay alive. I'm glad no one can see it. They'd wonder. If they had any clue, they'd do more than just look away when I meet their gaze. They'd blush, most likely. Worst case scenario, they'd hold my gaze with eyes full of pity.

I don't think I could handle that.

The taxi is at least better than the train. The people outside look at me, wondering what all is wrong with me. I know it. The driver, though, doesn't even seem to notice there's anything wrong with me. Well, we are close to Yamaku now. I bet the students call cabs all the time. It would stand to reason that he's seen people in as bad a shape as me and worse. I'm glad. He ignores me like any regular cabby would. It's a normal interaction, an official one. His eyes don't even wander back to look at me. I'm nothing particularly special. I'm a little reassured at his indifference. Maybe there's a shot at seeming normal at Yamaku. It's not like anyone needs to know about my… condition, after all.

This could actually be okay.

My first impression of Yamaku comes as soon as we get out of the cab. It's about what I expected: a school trying a little too hard to look like a regular old school. Nice try. It's not fooling me. Everything comes off as big: big buildings, big open spaces, a big gate-

Big.

The gate is kind of overdone, and prepares me to expect more of its kind of architecture. It has a sort of classical style, all wrought-iron, brick and plaster. I'm guessing it's supposed to symbolize some sort of metaphorical gate to knowledge and enlightenment.

It just comes off as an overdone gate.

Looking up at it, I can see it's designed for ease of opening. I can also tell that the latch isn't something I'll be able to work with my non-dominant hand from my wheelchair. I get a slight sinking feeling as I realize I won't be able to get through these gates again. Well, not by myself. I reassure myself that there's bound to be someone available to open it for me should the need to leave arise. It's probably kept open at certain times anyway. This isn't a prison, after all.

After we all manage to get out of the cab and I'm back in my wheelchair, my parents pull out a print-out map of campus. My father unloads my luggage, says a quick goodbye to me, and carries my things off to my new dorm room, wherever it is. My mother grabs me and starts to push me off through the campus. First order of business for me is to see the nurse.

For the lot of good that'll do, I'm sure.

She winds up wheeling me to the campus' main administration building. Of course the head nurse is in the administration building here. Since the whole school is pretty much one big nurse's office, it's no surprise that they just plopped him down in the admin center.

Maybe I'm being a little bitter about this.

…

Don't care.

My mom knocks at the door, then opens it and wheels me inside. It's exactly what you'd expect of a nurse's office. I'm not sure what I expected that makes that surprise me. It's the nurse's office, after all, not the doctor's. I feel silly for expecting more. A young man greets us. Looking at him, I'm guessing he's in his late twenties or early thirties. I can't tell if he looks softer or more rugged, and something about him says that it's highly dependent on his mood. It's bizarre.

My mother speaks first. "Hello? We're looking for the head nurse."

I meet the man's gaze. He meets it back. There's humor in his eyes. I can't help but think of how young he is. I suppose that's somewhat comforting. Some old crone or ancient man wouldn't exactly have the calming effect he seems to.

"Nurse," I greet him with a nod. He smiles.

"Hello there! You must be Tai. Welcome to Yamaku academy." He looks at my mom and greets her politely before turning his attention back to me.

"Okay, afternoon classes start before too long, so I'll try to get you out of here quickly. Now, as you've probably guessed, students here have all sorts of conditions. It's our job as the staff to make sure each and every student is provided with recourses to give them the best chance at success we can manage. Just as with any other student, you'll be provided with some as well.

"Your room comes equipped with a bed-side heart monitor that sends a feed to the nursing staff. It'll let the staff keep you monitored at night for safety without any kind of big-brother surveillance, allowing you to keep your privacy. Additionally, your room has an emergency defibrillator, though we're hoping that won't be necessary.

"Finally, there's the matter of your temporary problem. You've been provided with a battery-powered motorized wheelchair. It'll get you around campus without issue, but if you're doing something such as going into town I'd advise having someone push you, if possible. The battery should be able to make it without too much issue, but I wouldn't use it if you don't have to. There's no weakness in relying on others, after all."

He pauses and smiles at me. "Any questions?"

I shake my head. He goes on.

"Excellent! If you'll follow me, we'll get you into your power chair, and then you can head up to your class to meet your teacher and classmates."

I've seen motorized wheelchairs before. I remember one of the special needs kids at my old school had one. It always reminded me of an electric lawn mower. I'm uncertain as my mother wheels me after the Nurse. When we reach our destination, however, I'm relieved to find that the power chair is almost identical to the wheelchair I have. It's not folding, however, as it clearly houses the battery and motor in the undercarriage.

The Nurse helps my mom lift me out of my wheelchair and into the power chair. I look at it from my new perspective of sitting in it. There are two control sticks, one on each side, which clearly control the chair. Both seem omnidirectional, probably for people like me lacking use of one arm or the other. There is a trigger on each stick, and I have to pull it to make the chair respond to my commands. I'm guessing it's a safeguard so I don't accidentally bump one and send myself off a cliff or something.

"Good, you've already got the hang of it. It's electric, like I said. It has about a 15-mile range on a full charge, which should be more than enough to get around campus. There's a plug in both the left and right compartments that will charge the battery. Only use one at a time, though, or it could cause damage. As you can see, there's a side bag already attached for you to carry things around in. That's about it, I guess."

He walks to the door. I follow him, quickly getting a gauging the speed and handling of the chair.

"Well, I'd better not keep you. Your mother and I will finish up some final issues, mostly paperwork. You'll meet someone to escort you to class in the main building. Get going, now! You don't want to be late!"

At very least I don't want to leave a bad first impression.

I go through the door to the nurse's office with a bit of trouble, but it's actually a little easier than I thought it would be. Still, I really hope there are people around who'll open doors for me until I can do it for myself. It's still kind of a pain, after all.

About halfway down the hall, I hear the Nurse call out to me. I turn around.

"Make sure you see me before you go to your dorm! There are a few last things that need some attention!"

Fair enough. I wave in acknowledgement, and continue out of the administration building.

The Nurse was right; it is hard to miss the main building for a number of reasons. First off, it's directly down the road from the main gate. Second, it's easily the largest, most elaborate building on campus, towering above every other. Lastly, the sizable double doors make it clear that this is a building many people are expected to enter and exit all at once, effectively placing a large plaque on it saying "Main Building." It also has a plaque that says just that.

It takes me slightly longer than I'd have liked to get the main building's front door open. It's one of those big, stubborn ones that are probably designed to keep the air out, but barely fail; only managing to feel like they weigh about 300 pounds. Fortunately it opens smoothly, even if it is a bit stubborn. I quickly notice a somewhat scruffy looking man who seems to be waiting for something. My suspicions are confirmed when he beckons to me and begins to head in my direction.

"Hello. You must be Evan-"

"Tai. Call me Tai."

"-Tai, then. Glad to meet you. I'm Mutou. I teach science, and I'm the homeroom teacher for class 3-3, which you'll be in."

He extends his right hand to me. I raise my left hand. He looks at it for a moment before switching hands. The handshake is a bit sloppy, but it's excusable since we're both using our non-dominant hands.

"Good to meet you, sir."

Mutou nods. "Follow me. I'm headed to class now."

We head quietly up a large ramp in between two parallel staircases. I look around the inside of the building as I follow Muto to class. I'm somewhat surprised by the insides of the buildings I've gone inside so far. They're much more modern than the outsides. It clashes pretty badly, actually, and I don't like it. Seriously, whoever designed this needed to pick: classic, or modern? It's offensive. Even worse, here in the main building the clash between modern and classical is too common and too great: shining, industrial style metal railing on wooden stairs; digital announcement boards mounted on plaster walls. It was a horrible mix no matter where you looked, like a pickle and lard parfait. I shuddered, though more at the thought of the parfait than at the décor. A question from Mutou interrupts my internal tirade.

"So, do you want to introduce yourself to the class?"

"Sure." I don't elaborate. Mutou grunts in reply to my curt response. Oh well. I'm not feeling all that talkative right now.

The students of class 3-3 look, for the most part, like students you could find in any high school anywhere. There isn't really anything noticeably different about most of them.

"Sorry I'm late again everyone. I was slower getting back than I planned. By the way, this is your new classmate. He'd like to introduce himself."

I use the short time he spends talking to the class, I examine the class briefly. There's about a 50-50 ratio of boys to girls, it looks like. The only things in the room that really stand out to me at first glance are a girl with long, dark, straight here in the back who looks like she's trying to crawl into the book she's reading and a girl to my right with extremely bright bubblegum pink hair.

Yep. I'm definitely in Japan.

I chuckle internally before I start talking.

"Hey. I'm Tai. I'm from America, I've been living here in Japan for a little over two years now, and before anyone jumps to conclusions, I'll be back on my feet in a few months."

And I might die if I go to sleep.

I don't say that.

Hmm… I wonder…

"Oh, and yes, I'm single." I give an exaggerated grin and wink, earning a number of laughs and eye rolls from the class. I receive some light applause as Mutou clears his throat and stands up, looking unamused by my joke.

"Yes, well, let's make sure Tai feels welcome here."

The class gives me some more rather unenthusiastic applause.

"We'll be doing more group work today. Tai, you can partner up with Miki."

Oh, sure. I'll head over right now. I think I'll say hi to Takashi and Yatsume along the way.

I turn to Mutou and rest my cheek on my left fist, watching him expectantly. I'm almost surprised at how short a time it takes him to realize that I have no idea who Miki is.

"Oh, of course. That's Miki, there in the middle of the room."

The girl he indicates waves her hand. When she does, I realize that she only has one hand. I roll over to her. She's pretty good looking, actually. She has medium tone skin and long brown hair. She's thin, but far from shapeless. For some reason she wears a boy's uniform. It makes me wonder if there's a specific reason.

"I see you brought your own chair. Good idea."

I can take this one of two ways; as an insult, or as a playful if insensitive joke to break the ice. I decide on the latter, and respond in kind.

"I see you forgot your hook. Well, I've still got my left hand, so I'll help however I can."

She laughs. "I like you, Tai. Hey, you know how to do this stuff?"

I look at the problems Mutou has written up on the board. It's physics, a subject I'm pretty unfamiliar with. Let's see what I can do…

Wait, what?

"Don't you?" I ask.

Miki smiles. "Sort of. I kind of forgot the variables."

I shake my head and look to the board. I look at the formula written on the board. It seems to be pretty straightforward, even though I've never seen it before.

"Gimme a sec."

I spend a few moments playing around with the numbers until they seem to come together.

"Okay, I got it. See?"

She squints at my writing.

"No."

I look at it. I can see why. I literally just wrote it, and I can barely read it myself. I'm nowhere close to being ambidextrous. Let's try something else.

"Hey, Miki, you're right handed, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Okay, here's the plan. I'll dictate to you what to write. If I try to do this with my right hand, we'll be here all week. That, and no one will be able to read it."

It's a little clunky at first, but we eventually figure out how to work around the issue.

"There. We're done." I say as I crack my back. This business of sitting down all day is unbelievably uncomfortable.

Miki smiles and gives a little fist pump. "Woo! Yes! I can't believe we're done early! Hey, you take this stuff at your old school already?"

I look around while she celebrates. Apparently, we're the only ones done yet. Well, not the only ones. I catch the eye of a girl with dark blue hair across the room sitting next to the girl with pink hair. She smiles at me and holds up two fingers. It's one of two things. A sign of peace, which would make no sense in context…

Or she's gloating.

I'm not going to take this badly right off the bat. I point to my eyes with my index and middle fingers, then point them at her in the universal sign for 'I've got my eye on you.' The mischievous twinkle in her eye tells me I probably reacted the right way.

"Never seen it before." I finally reply, answering Miki's question.

I look around. I noticed something while I was looking to see how many people were done. Rather, I didn't notice something. I can't quite place it, but something's missing.

Wait, where's that dark-haired girl I saw? The bookworm, where is she? Did she leave? I look around. Apparently so, but why has no one noticed? Even Mutou doesn't seem to have noticed. Wasn't he watching the class? How could she have slipped out without anyone noticing?

I'm curious. I'll have to keep my eye on her too, it seems.

I only catch the last of whatever Miki just said to me.

"What?" I ask, coming out of my trance.

"I said, you must be some kind of genius. Mutou spent, like, a week going over this stuff."

I look at the board.

"It's just a formula. As long as you can figure out where to put the numbers, the equation practically solves itself."

She looks at the board.

"Huh. Guess that's true." She grins. "I always forget to write that stuff down though."

I resist the urge to question whether it's a matter of memory or one of laziness. The bell rings a bit later.

"Alright," Mutou calls out across the room, "I want what everyone has. We'll go over this tomorrow."

I push our paper to Miki. She looks at it.

"Aww, come on. Why don't you be a gentleman and take it yourself?" She asks, acting as cute as she can.

"Why don't you be someone whose legs work and take it up to save the cripple some trouble?" I ask, parodying her attempt at looking cute. She sticks her tongue out at me and holds the paper out to another classmate.

"Hey, Takashi! Why don't you be a gentleman and take this up for me?"

Takashi. What are the odds?

"We don't have a Yatsume in our class by any chance, do we?"

"No, why?"

"Just wondering."

Suddenly there's a loud explosion behind me. It takes me a moment to realize it's someone calling my name.

Sort of.

"Hey, Taicchan! Over here~!"

I swivel around to find myself facing the pink haired girl, who waves her arms to flag me down. I slowly roll over to her.

"Sup."

The girl grins. "Hi! I'm Misha, and this is Shicchan! We're part of the student council, so it's our job to help show you around! Wahaha~!"

Her smile has somehow grown the entire time she was talking. It's hard not to smile when talking to her. She has an incredible energy about her. She's pretty cute in her uniform with her odd hairstyle- shoulder length with a strange curl worn in front of her shoulders that makes me think of a pair of drills. She's much more built than Miki. She's a little on the heavier side, but in an attractive way. Her friend, the blue-haired girl, is standing next to her. She's thin, if still not as much so as Miki, and almost as shapely. She has short hair, which I like, and wears a small pair of glasses.

"I don't think her name is Shicchan." I say flatly. Her friend blushes.

"Wahaha! You're right! Her name is actually Shizune! She's the president of the student council~! Like I said, it's our job to show you around!" She laughs again. I'm astonished at how loud she can be. This girl could compete with some fire engines, and I don't even think she's trying to be loud yet.

Shizune smiles and moves her hands around. The movements are very sharp and precise. I think back a moment. As Misha spoke, she did the same thing. I realize why. Shizune is deaf.

"Shicchan wants to know if there's anything you'd like to see!"

I've never really spoken to a deaf person before. Reason stands, however, that I should face her when I'm speaking to her.

"I need to see the nurse. After that, I'll probably head to the dorms to see what's in my room. I think I might just head to bed then. It's been a long last couple of days. Maybe tomorrow."

Misha looks disappointed. Shizune analyzes me for a second before smiling and signing something. Misha grins.

"Shicchan wants to know what it's like to finish second!"

I coolly regard Shizune. I don't much care for people who try to goad me, but I get the feeling she's doing this for mutual fun. I smile.

"I'll show you some time. Until then," I say, giving her a wink. Her eyes glisten mischievously, like before.

Getting out of the main hall after class proves to be much easier than getting in, mostly because there are people there to hold the door for me.

Legs be damned, I want my arms back.

I roll over to the nurse's office. He clears me to come in after I knock. I wait, deciding against making a fool of myself opening the door. He eventually answers my knocking.

"Tai! I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd be here so soon after classes ended. Anyway, this is Yuri. He's part of the nursing staff. Yuri will show you to your dorm and answer any questions you may have about your specialized equipment."

I turn to greet Yuri. He's a distinctly forgettable looking man, likely in his mid 30's to early 40's. He walks over and opens the door, signaling me to follow.

"So, how was your first day here at Yamaku?"

"First half-day, and not over yet. So far? About what I expected."

Yuri nods thoughtfully. "What were you expecting?"

"This," I say, waving my right arm generally towards a group of students. "High schoolers in high school, only dealing with disabilities. Buildings trying to look academic, and poor interior design." I shrug. "High school, really."

Yuri nods. He seems satisfied with my answer. "Good outlook. Some students come here expecting to see corpses strewn about everywhere and nurses rushing students from building to building on stretchers." He shakes his head. "I exaggerate, of course, but not as much as I'd like to be. I'm glad you're not surprised. Means you'll have an easier time adjusting."

We'll see. We'll see.

We reach the boys' dorm building. It's classical on the outside like any other building on campus. Unlike the others, however, it has the courtesy to at least somewhat match on the inside. At least the mini architect in my mind won't be screaming every moment I spend in here.

Loudly.

The administrators had the courtesy to put me on the 100- level, meaning I don't have to wait for an elevator until I have my legs again. It also means the paramedics don't have as far to go before they can get my heart started again.

Grim thoughts, Tai. No sense getting yourself too down about it. This is your life. Besides, it won't be a daily thing. It may not even be an issue with my ICD. I have to hope, right?

Yeah. Let's hope, see where it gets up.

Shut up, you.

I shake it off. Have to stay positive. Gotta keep focused. Can't psyche myself out. This is my senior year, and I'm spending it in a new school. There'll be plenty of distractions as is.

"Here you are. Room 117. Here, let me get it for you this time, since I won't be around too often," he says, opening the door for me. I roll in after him.

The room is somewhat small, featuring a bed, dresser, and desk in the way of furniture, as well as a closet and some shelves built into the wall. Everything in the room seems to be set up neatly, and there's a note on my bed. I pick it up.

We finished your unpacking for you.

We hope you have fun your senior year!

Remember to visit!

-Mom + Dad

I smile.

"Your parents really care about you, don't they? Anyway, there are only two particularly distinct features to your room you should really make sure to be aware of. The first is the most important to you. Here, coming out of the wall by your bed, is a heart sensor. You'll need to put this on your finger before you go to bed, and press this button on the top in the morning to let the nursing staff know you're getting up.

"The other, though maybe a bit less important to you directly, is this portable defibrillator here in the wall. You won't be using it yourself, of course, but it's good to know it's there. Since it's worth mentioning, you might want to think twice about whether or not you want to lock your door at night. There will be a spare key in the lobby of course, but… well, you understand. Oh, and you've probably noticed, but there's an outlet here, which should be the easiest place for you to plug in your chair

"Well, that's all she wrote." Yuri says, sighing and giving a single clap. "I'm sure you'll do fine here at Yamaku. Take care, Tai."

With that, he leaves.

Take care, Yuri, who I'll probably never recognize.

Oh well.

I roll around the room to familiarize myself with everything and check for where my parents put my things. They pretty accurately mimicked my old organization style, so finding things should be easy. I'm about to consider how I'll manage to plug in my chair, then get from it to the bed and back when I hear a loud knock at my door. I head over and open it slowly.

Beyond it stands a boy with thick glasses and unkempt black hair, wearing a green jacket and a red-and-yellow striped scarf. He fingers it nervously before he realizes I've opened the door. He suddenly bends forward and hovers with his face inches from my own. I recoil instinctively, but my chair doesn't let me go very far. As I reach for the controls, I realize he isn't getting any closer. Rather, he's carefully scrutinizing me, as though chiseling me into his mind. He suddenly smiles and takes a step back.

"Sup dude. I'm Kenji." He extends his right hand.

I reach out with my left. He looks at it uncomfortably for a moment before awkwardly twisting his wrist to grab it.

It's easily the most awkward handshake I've ever been given.

"I'm Tai. Nice to meet you."

Maybe.

Kenji quickly glances up and down the hall before he looks at me seriously.

"Hey, there were some suspicious looking people heading in and out of this room. They had these bags full of stuff. You know them?"

I stare at him for a moment.

"Guy first, then a girl later?"

He looks panicked.

"Yeah! Are they trouble? Are they after you? Will they come after me? Shit, I should've hidden better!" The thought seems to push him over the edge. "What if they saw me? Dammit, this is the worst thing that could've happened!"

Is this guy serious?

"They were my parents. It's cool."

Kenji considers this.

"You sure?"

Of course I am. Still, if you're gonna be like that...

"Did you catch them on camera?"

He thinks about this.

"No," he admits.

I glance around my room.

"Well, I'll check around. I'll see if I can put up a camera in here or something. I'll let you know if I find anything suspicious in the meantime."

Kenji relaxes.

"Smart move. I'll let you get to that." He goes back to looking serious. "Guys like us have to be careful. Never know where they'll come from, after all." He smiles. "Well, I'll seeya. Later dude."

"Later," I respond, careful not to ask who 'they' are.

I close the door behind him and swivel around. What a grade-A weirdo. Damn, he must live nearby.

Frightening thought.

Oh well. He could make this year pretty interesting.

Now, where was I…?

Oh yeah.

I roll over to the wall outlet and fumble around with the side of my wheelchair until I manage to get to the power cord. I stretch it over to the outlet and plug it in. I take a moment to make sure it's securely in the wall before I look back up.

I freeze.

I just now notice it. I saw it before, yes, but… I didn't notice it.

My bed.

It may as well be covered in nails, or have a swinging axe descending slowly towards it

I may as well be sleeping in a coffin.

It's just a bed, but now, all alone in my dorm, framed by the receding light, I really see it. I feel like I'm suffocating. Just looking at it terrifies me. It calls to me. Calls me to sleep.

It's a death sentence.

I want to jump up and run, screaming, from my room. Trapped in my wheelchair like I am, though, all I can do is stare as a wheezing breath escapes my lungs.

I'm going to die here.

In this room.

Alone.

In my sleep.

And no one will know.

Not until it's too late.

The sun has already vanished. It's dark. My bed looms before me like a specter of death as sleep, my own personal reaper, hovers about, waiting. I start to shiver.

No.

No, no, no.

No, I can't.

I won't.

…

I don't want to die.

I can't be in here. Not right now. I rip the plug from the wall and roll to the door as fast as my wheelchair will manage. After fumbling with the door for longer than I'd have liked, I roll out into the hall, shutting the door behind me. I can feel my heartbeat slowing. I want to slap myself. What's so scary about a bed? It's a bed, dammit! You sleep in it.

Sleep...

I always took sleep for granted. I never really cared for sleeping, after all. I always thought of it as an interruption, something that forced me to stop working or gaming or reading or whatever. An inconvenience, really. Now, though, it's more than an inconvenience. It's terrifying. It feels like I'm playing some sort of ghoulish lottery with sleep.

Why the hell am I so scared though? I slept... well, fitfully, but I still slept at the hospital. I even debated taking a nap on the train ride here. Why, suddenly, is sleeping such a nightmare, pardon the pun.

I head to the bathroom to wash my face. I feel a little better afterwards, but I'm still shaken by my reaction to my bed. So much for my plan of not worrying too much this year. I'm probably never going to have a good night's rest again.

I lean back and look at myself in the mirror. I don't look too bad, considering everything. Same bright blue eyes, same unruly, puffy, probably wavy if I let it grow out brown hair, same light skin. I'll admit I look a little helpless with both my legs wrapped in one giant cast and an arm I can only move at the shoulder, but otherwise I look pretty normal. I lift my shirt. It's criscrossed with scars from my ICD surgery. Oh well. I don't plan to go shirtless too often, so it probably doesn't matter.

I roll away from the mirror and out of the bathroom and curse the curfew. If not for it, I'd go get something to eat. I roll into the main room unrecognised. Fine by me. I'm not really in the mood to deal with people right now. There's a snack machine here, so I grab something and look around. There's really not much to do. I almost debate talking to Kenji, but decide that's probably not the best thing for my currently questionable sanity. I grab a deck of cards no one is using, and decide to play solitare for a while. I play a game. I play two. Five. Seven. I lose count. I get bored. It's really dark out. Well, I have my gameboy in my room, and if I can't sleep, I may as well go get that. I roll back.

Room 117. I take a deep breath and open the door.

I lose my breath the moment my eyes fall on my bed. I motor over to my dresser, snatch up my gameboy, and roll out as fast as I can, shutting the door and locking it behind me.

Yep. I'm losing it.

I go back into the common room and keep myself occupied with Pokemon until I see the sun coming up. Well, looks like it's tomorrow.

Wait, dammit, I need to change, don't I.

I cautiously roll over to my room, nervously unlock the door, turn the handle, and...

Nothing. My bed is a bed again. There's nothing frightening about it.

I'm losing my mind.

I take a little comfort in the thought that I can at least go in here during the day. Well, now that everything's good, I may as well get ready.

This is going to be a long, long year.


	3. Act One, Episode III

**Author's Note**

**Well, I promised, so here it is. It's a little late here, but according to my clock, it's still Thursday the 8th. Anyway, here's episode three. As usual, give me your literary criticism, I need it as much as the last two times.**

**By the way, FYI, if I update in any way other than posting a new chapter, I'll put it up on my profile as well as in the author's note for the next chapter. As that goes, act 1, episode II had a modified ending for purposes of being more believable as of August 4th, and the Taichans and Shichans in the same episode were changed to the correct forms of Taicchan and Shicchan. I'll also list projected times of completion of the next chapter. That's all. Well, here's the chapter. Enjoy!**

Act 1: Nightfall

Episode III: Midnight

I roll down the hall to class feeling a lot better than I expected to, running on as little sleep as I am. Of course, that may just be the coffee talking. Since I was running on a quick snack all night, I made sure to get a decent breakfast in, complete with three brimming cups of coffee. What? I like coffee. Don't judge.

I'm nearly to class when suddenly my wheelchair stops. It takes me a moment before I realize what happened. I didn't charge it for more than a few minutes last night at most, and I've been moving myself everywhere unassisted so far. The fact that it stopped now, right before I reach the classroom, is more than a little bit irritating. I curse myself for my forgetfulness and decide to wait until I see someone I recognize to ask if they'll wheel me inside.

"Out of the way!" I hear an anxious shout from down the hall. Everyone hastily clears to the walls to avoid whatever is on the way. Well, everyone but me. I get one look at a girl standing at about my eye level charging towards me with a package of some sort before I feel the collision and fall backwards onto the floor. I'm stunned for a moment, and I'm guessing the girl is too, because she doesn't say anything until I'm about to.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry! Let me help you up!" She says as she pushes me back onto all four wheels. I crane my neck to look at her, but can't get a clear look until she steps around my wheelchair.

"I'm so sorry! I just had this thing and it needed to go to the main office and I said I'd take it but I need to get back fast too because I'm a little behind in this class and if I miss anything I'll be even more behind and-"

"Breathe," I say, placing my hand on her shoulder. "It's fine. I'm no worse now that I was before. I'm sure we've both got bigger problems than taking a little spill. Like me, my wheelchair's battery just died and I need to get to class there."

The girl doesn't look any less apologetic, but at least seems to be done word vomiting. "Oh, well, let me help, then! It's the least I can do, since…"

"Don't think this is totally your fault. If I'd remembered to charge my chair last night, this all could've been avoided." She doesn't look overly reassured by this, but she nods anyway and steps behind me. I start to move.

"Push me over there, by the outlet," I say, pointing to the far wall. She does, and then turns me to face the class. I get a good look at her. She's only a little taller than me right now, and since I'm sitting, that makes her pretty short. She has a small, sharp-featured but at the same time delicate looking face that makes me think of a kitten. She wears her mid-length, light-brown hair in a pair of twin-tails just shy of reaching her shoulders. She's pretty attractive, I notice, with a fair figure. It's following this figure that I wind up looking at her legs, or rather, the prosthetics that extend below her knee where her real legs end. My eyes jump back to her face. I think I may have some understanding of why she seems so hard to reassure on the matter of knocking down a person in a wheelchair.

"Thanks. Hey, seriously, forget it happened. I'm Tai, by the way."

She smiles sheepishly. "I'm Emi. Hey, let me make it up to you over lunch! We'll eat, uh…" she looks at my wheelchair. "…I'll figure it out. Meet me in front of the cafeteria?"

"Sure, no problem." I give her a wave. She smiles once, then dashes of, probably to get that package to the office. Well, this'll certainly be an interesting year at this rate. I look to my right once I notice movement in my direction and notice I'm being approached by Misha.

"Hey Taicchan. Are you okay?" She asks, a worried expression on her face.

"Fine, no worse off that I was before. I'm pretty durable." Upon seeing a question forming on her lips, I continue. "The crash was an exception, and it wasn't exactly gentle."

Misha continues to look concerned for a moment longer before she beams at me. "Whatever you say, Taicchan~! Just making sure you're okay!"

I smile at her concern. "Yeah, yeah, don't announce it to the whole class. I'd rather just forget about it." Unfortunately, Shizune pops up next to Misha, and she seems much less eager than me to forget about the incident.

She signs furiously. Misha puts on her most serious expression on as she tries to capture Shizune's frustration. The effect is pretty funny. "Shicchan says she can't believe that girl's irresponsibility! Running in the halls and knocking fellow students over is unacceptable behavior~!"

Misha really isn't good at this whole anger thing. I restrain a smile. "I'm fine, really. Just let it go, please. Class is starting soon, anyway.

I'm certain they wouldn't have dropped it but for that last fact. I quickly plug my chair in and look back to Mutou.

"Okay everyone, get back into your groups and come get your papers. We're going over this."

I look at Miki and gesture to my plugged in wheelchair. She rolls her eyes and, after convincing Takashi to get our paper for her, comes over and sits at a nearby desk. We're sitting pretty close to Shizune and Misha now, I notice for no particular reason. Mutou writes the answers on the board. Miki and I did pretty well, although we did make a few simple mistakes. The only one we really missed was the last question, the 'bonus.'

"Any questions before we go on?" Mutou asks, erasing the board as though he doesn't expect there to be any.

I raise my hand. "We had a little trouble with the last one. How does that one work out, exactly?"

Mutou looks a bit surprised. Apparently he doesn't get many questions in this class. That strikes me as a little odd, since physics isn't necessarily the most user-friendly science all the time.

"Of course. This one was actually a bit harder than what I've shown you so far. To start, you…"

Miki nudges me with her elbow. "What was that for? It's just a bonus, it's not like it matters."

"If you can get the hardest thing, you can do the easiest. That's always my philosophy when I don't feel like doing homework. Hang on, let me pay attention." I continue to listen to Mutou explain the problem. It isn't actually that much harder, though it uses several extra steps and requires moving around the formula a little.

"Does that make sense?"

I nod. Mutou looks pleased.

"Excellent. Well, now it's time to move on to…"

Classes pass uneventfully for the most part. I wind up having to ask several questions in history since the subject matter is all completely new to me. Eventually my chair finishes charging, and I'm able to return to my seat next to Miki. After a little longer, the lunch bell rings. Miki stops me after class.

"Hey, do you always ask this many questions?"

"Um, no, not really. Usually just if I don't get something or I'm behind. Right now, I'm kind of behind, but once I catch up, not really."

"Huh. I thought you were some kind of genius, figuring out the physics like you did. I didn't think you'd need to ask questions."

"That's a silly assumption. I have issues with some stuff. History, for example, I've never been much good at that. And, uh, biology, even though I'm not taking that this year. Not everything comes naturally to me."

Miki grins. "I guess you're not that smart after all."

"Hey! Don't judge me. Anyway, I promised I'd meet that girl for lunch, so I'm gonna go."

"What, the one who bowled you over? Didn't you get beat up enough already?"

"Don't judge. She's giving me free food. I'd be actually stupid to say no to that. Anyway, I'll see you around."

"Yep."

We split up at the stairs, which she goes down quickly. I head over to the ramp and start to go down it. It's nice to be able to move on my own. Even though I'd only been unable to do so for a few minutes, it made me feel completely helpless and really vulnerable. I'm definitely going to make charging my chair a priority from now on.

"Hey, Tai!" I hear a voice call me from behind shortly after I hit the bottom of the ramp. I turn. It's Mutou.

"Sir?"

"Two things," he says when he reaches me. "First off, I'd like to thank you for asking that question today. I sometimes put something like that bonus out there to try to get my students to ask questions, but I seldom actually get any. It's nice to know some of my students are willing to take the step to learn a bit more. The other thing is that the Nurse contacted me. He wants you to go see him as soon as possible."

I nod. "Okay. And thanks. For both."

Mutou nods, then heads for the main doors. I continue on to the cafeteria. It looks a lot different crowded like it is. Well, not really different, but it does give a sense of how many students actually go to Yamaku. It also gives an idea of how many different disabilities must exist here. A good number of the students have obvious issues, like Emi's and Miki's. Others are much less immediately noticeable, like Shizune's. It makes me wonder how many of the people in this room might be dealing with something more potentially lethal, like mine.

"Oh, hey! There you are!" I recognize the voice. Emi. I turn to face her. She looks happy to see me, but at the same time still looks apologetic. "I wasn't sure you'd show up."

"I promised. Besides, you offered me free food, I think, so of course I was going to show up." I grin. "I'm American. We're all fat at heart." I put my hand on my virtually nonexistent belly to emphasize the irony. Emi Laughs and sticks her tongue out at me. It's really cute, actually.

"You know what I meant. Anyway, follow me! I know exactly where we're gonna go!"

"Hang on a sec. Is it near where the Nurse's office is? I need to see him first."

She cocks her head. "Yeah, I guess. Why?"

I shrug. "I dunno. I'll find out, I guess."

As we head out the main doors towards the Nurse's office, I try to strike up some idle conversation.

"I take it you know a thing or two about being in a wheelchair?"

She nods. "Yeah. I had to use one for a while before I got these," she says, gesturing towards her prosthetics. "I always hated wheelchairs. You're not really moving when you're in one. That's how I felt."

I smile. "I know the feeling. I'm really glad I only have to wait until my bones are all healed up in a while. Then I'll be back on my feet. I'm looking forward to it."

Emi nods enthusiastically. "That's great! I can't imagine having to spend your whole life in a wheelchair"

"Same," I say as we reach the administration building. "Uh, could you-?"

"Yeah, no problem," Emi says, opening the door for me. "I'm going to check on my friend. I'll meet you back here, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Emi closes the door behind me, and roll down the hall over towards the Nurse's office. I knock and announce that it's me so the Nurse knows to open the door. He does shortly, and I quickly take account of the serious look on his face.

"Tai. Come in." There's a stern edge to his voice. I do as instructed and follow him to his desk. He turns to me. "Tai, why didn't you put on your heart sensor last night? That was very dangerous. If something had happened to you, no one on the nursing staff would have known-"

"I didn't go to sleep last night."

The nurse looks at me for a second before his stern expression is replaced by a concerned one. "Ah. I see." He sighs. "Look Tai, I understand you being afraid of going to sleep. Really, I do. If I were in your shoes, I know I would be too. That doesn't change the fact that your body still needs sleep to stay healthy and that you need it to stay focused in school. You might very well be doing more harm to yourself by not sleeping than you would by sleeping regularly. Not much is known about your condition, so you may very well be making it worse." He looks at me sadly. "Please promise me you'll try to get some sleep tonight. Just try. Please."

I look at him. He really is worried for me, I can tell. It's not the fake concern some people use when trying to sway someone's opinion. It's written all over his body language. I don't think I'd be able to deal with myself if I said no. "I… I'll try."

The Nurse sighs. "I guess I can't really ask for more. Just keep the sensor on, at least. You had us worried last night. Oh, and Tai?"

"Yes?"

The Nurse's expression becomes serious. "You really shouldn't interrupt people. I can understand wanting to clarify things early on, but cutting people off mid-sentence isn't polite in any instance. You should really wait for people to finish talking before you start. Not everyone will take it as well as me and Mutou." He smiles at my surprised reaction. "I know a lot of what goes on around here at Yamaku. You'd be surprised what all you can learn by listening. Anyway, I'm sure I've taken up enough of your lunch. Come on, I'll see you out."

The Nurse disappears back through the door to the administration building just a few moments before Emi reappears.

"Heard the door open. Did it go okay?"

I nod. "Yeah, it's fine. He wants me to sleep more. And stop interrupting people."

She looks confused for a moment, but shrugs it off. "Well, that's good, I guess. Come on, there's food for you over here, and I can introduce you to my friend!" She looks like she wants to bolt down the steps, but decided instead to follow me as I creep my way down the ramp, bouncing in anticipation.

As we finally reach the spot Emi has picked for lunch, I'm surprised by an unusual sight; sitting there is a girl with short red hair eating lunch out of a plastic container. Well, not so much that as the way she's going about it. She's dexterously manipulating a fork with her toes and eating her food that way. It's immediately clear why she's doing it, too- she has no arms. I feel like I'm intruding on something private in watching her eat. I feel twice as intrusive when she stops mid-bite and starts staring at me.

"Tai, this is Rin! She's an artist! Rin, this is Tai, he… umm…"

"I don't do really anything in particular. I'm kind of get around."

Rin looks at me for a moment. "Okay." She says, returning to her food. Emi grins.

"Good idea, Rin! Let's eat! Here, Tai, I brought you this!" She takes a moment to produce some food. It looks decent, even if it is clearly cafeteria-bought. "I mean, I wasn't really sure what to get you, but I thought these would be a good choice. You'll probably like them, mostly."

I raise an eyebrow. "And if I don't? Hypothetically speaking."

Emi laughs. "Then too bad! It won't be my fault you're picky!" She sticks her tongue out at me.

It's my turn to laugh. "Free food is good food," I say before digging in. I watch the two as we eat. Emi chatters throughout the entire lunch break in between bouts of ravenously eating. Rin picks at her food slowly, occasionally interjecting with bizarre statements and observations. It seems very casual, but there's a… a distance about the whole thing. It's not strained or anything, just… I don't know. I'm usually very open with my friends and even strangers on most subjects, but it's like there's something here not being said. Maybe it's just Rin. She doesn't seem very good with words after all, so it would go without saying that there are things she doesn't feel she can talk about sufficiently.

My consideration of the scene is interrupted by a very sudden question from Rin.

"So, what's your problem?" It's addressed at me.

"Uh, what? I- what?"

"Why are you here at Yamaku? What's wrong with you? I can try to guess. I'm pretty good at guessing. Sort of. You said you aren't crippled, so it's not on the outside. It's got to be inside you."

I'm completely taken aback by her bluntness. "W-why? Why do you want to know?"

Rin shrugs. "I collect people. I've got a lot of different ones. Is it weak bones?"

It takes a moment for me to realize she's gone back to guessing. "No! This was a bad crash. My bones are completely normal. Maybe stronger than usual, even."

She puts her fork to her lips in thought. "Is it in your pants? I haven't met anyone like that here yet. Is it?"

"No! It's- it's sleep-related."

"Oh." Rin looks disappointed. Okay.

Okay? No, not okay! You have no idea! Don't you assume anything with me, and stay out of my life!

Emi seems to pick up on my agitation. "Oh, uh, don't mind Rin. She's just a little blunt. She's like that with everyone." As if that makes it okay! Interrupting people, yeah, that's rude, but this is pretty clearly NOT okay!

"Eh." I grunt. We finish the last of our lunch in silence. I thank Emi for the food, and roll off to class.

I get to class on a somewhat sour note, since I'm still angry over what Rin said. Maybe I'm tired. Maybe I'm too sensitive about my condition. Maybe it's something else. Whatever it was, it made what she said bite much, much deeper than it should have. At least I'm here early, so I have a few minutes to fume to myself and cool down before classes actually start.

"Hi Taicchan! How was lunch~!"

Misha. "Mmph." I reply. I'm not really feeling her upbeat mood right now. I'm not feeling any kind of upbeat, actually. Quite the opposite. Misha's face drops. "What's wrong Taicchan?"

"Nothing!" I snap, immediately regretting it. I slap myself internally. What am I doing! I'm not mad at Misha, and I'll only wind up getting mad at myself if I start taking my stress out on others. "Sorry, I'm just… I guess I reacted badly to something someone said. Don't worry about it; it's nothing to do with you."

"Oh. Okay~." She says it with her usual bouncing lilt, but it's too quiet, and her face still holds a trace of uncertainty. Nice job, Tai. Superbly done. Fortunately, the bubbles right back up when Shizune appears. "Hey, Taicchan, what are you doing after class today?"

Both Shizune and Misha are watching me intently. I can already see that they're trying to manipulate me. They're consciously trying to look cute, and they've got my possible escape routes cut off. What caused them to have to learn how to make surrounding someone look natural? "I reserve the right to change my mind."

They look offended, clearly also something they've practiced. Even so, I can tell it's a part of their usual act to force people's hands. Shizune signs to Misha. "Taicchan, I'm hurt that you would act so defensively around us!"

I smile. They're good; I'll absolutely give them that. Fine, two can play at limiting the other's options. "I'm sorry. Old habits die hard I guess. My friends always used to try to force me into things. Of course, I'm certain two nice, responsible girls like you wouldn't dream of trying to force me into anything, right?" I lock eyes with Shizune for the last few words. Ball's in your court. Her eyes glisten behind her mask of offense. Game on.

Shizune responds. "Well, we were thinking about giving you a tour today, the one you said you were too busy for yesterday! Unfortunately, we have some important Student Council duties today, so we'll have to schedule it for some other time. Unless~…"

I can see where this is going. I pause a moment to make sure Misha's done before I finish her sentence. "Unless I help out. Of course, I'm a little less useful now than I normally am, so it depends on what needs done, for one."

"Wahahaha~! Well, we need to get some paperwork done and organized! You'd be helping out a bunch if you could at least help sort it all~!"

I see. They're trying to get me to help with the Student Council. I doubt this'll be the last I hear of it if I agree, but I honestly can't think of any reason to say no. I've never done anything Student Council related, so it might be fun. I'll give them a shot at convincing me. "I make no promises, but if nothing comes up, I don't see why not."

They smile. "Wahahaha! We'll hold you to that~!"

"Hey, I didn't-"

They're already back in their seats. Shizune looks at me as though challenging me. I smile the challenge back at her before I break eye contact to look around the room. There. The dark-haired girl is here. I watch her for a moment. Everyone else is finishing up lunch-time chats, but she seems to be completely detached from it all. I wonder if it's by choice, or against her will. It's hard to tell, but I can almost taste how nervous she is. What it is that causes her to be that way? I'm curious what her story is.

"Hey there, buddy! You ready for the history test?" Miki's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I smile ruefully.

"The one we had all week to study for and I don't get an extension on?"

Miki laughs. "Yep!"

I roll my eyes and sigh, shaking my head. "This is gonna be a nightmare." I sort of brushed over some of this stuff in the hospital, and I had a chance to go over it yesterday, but I'm not feeling particularly confident about it.

Miki slaps me on the shoulder. "Well, good luck!"

-o-O-o-

"Well, that's the last of them! How's filing going Taicchan? Wahahaha~!"

I roll my eyes. "Great. After all, it's not like you need to know what you're sorting to organize something." I figured out that the paperwork has something to do with funds for an upcoming festival a few weeks from now. Unfortunately, most of the papers look the same, and none of them have many clues as to what they go to. I did as well as I could, but I don't feel any more confident about my job here than I did about that history test. I couldn't help but wonder while sorting it, however, that all of it was approved anyway. Why run anything through the student council if they're just going to approve everything? I don't understand it. "Why does this stuff all have to run through the Council anyway if it all gets approved anyway? Why not just leave it to the administration?"

"Because, it's the Student Council's job to make sure to make sure everything runs smoothly and gets done~!" Shizune told me. That still didn't make sense to me. It's still the school's administrators that have to distribute the funds. All the Council seems to do is serve as a middle-man.

"Shicchan says these look fine! That means we're done for now! Wahahaha~!"

I lean back in my chair. "Good. I don't know how much more pointless bureaucracy I can take in one day."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Shizune starts signing bullets at Misha, who seems to struggle to get everything through quickly enough. "Uh- It's not pointless! We're a critical part of making sure everything goes smoothly in this school~! We, uh, we're what keeps things flowing and the only reason these festivals happen!"

"It all goes through the school administration anyway. All you do is save them some time. That's what it looks like from where I'm sitting, anyway."

Shizune puts on a haughty look, as though she were explaining something to a small child. "Wahahaha~! Silly Taicchan! Without the Student Council, the classes would try to half-do their jobs and fail to get their paperwork in on time~! Worse, they'd probably forget to turn it in even if they did get it done, or lose it along the way! Without the Council, the festivals would be a laughingstock~! Wahahaha!"

I think about that for a bit. "I guess there's truth to that. Okay, fine. I was only thinking of the one side of it. Won't happen again." Shizune gives me a look as if to say 'we'll see' before Misha speaks up.

"Wahahaha! Well, now that we're done, we can give Taicchan the grand tour~! So, what do you want to see?"

Hmm. Yes, what do I want to see? "I guess the library. I'll need it sooner or later, so I may as well find out where it is." That, and I'm not playing Pokémon every night I can't sleep. That would just be pathetic. "I also noticed the town down there on the taxi up. Since we're allowed off campus, I figured I might pick some things up from there from time to time. It'd be nice if you could show me around there too."

Misha and Shizune discuss this between themselves for a moment. Finally, Misha turns to me. "Well, the library's closed right now, so we'll just show you where it is, and you can check it out on your own. But if you want to go to town, we know the perfect place to go~! Wahahaha!"

The girls feed me a steady stream of information on the way down, which makes me glad I thought to charge my chair back in the Student Council room. I hadn't initially realized how much was offered by this school. I guess I should have expected the quality athletic fields, but an indoor swimming pool? Sure, it might be used mostly for physical rehabilitation, but it's still an indoor swimming pool in the office building. As we go through town, I'm led along a scenic route past a few small stores that, when you put them all together, cover everything I'll need this year and more. It's overall a pretty nice town, actually. Quiet. Peaceful. At last, the girls lead me to a small, unassuming establishment.

A tea-house? Is this what the night's been building up to? Well, Shizune and Misha seem to think highly of it, so I'll give it a chance. Can't be all bad, after all, since it smells nice from out here.

"Ta-da~!" Misha presents enthusiastically. "This is the Shanghai! It's our favorite place here in town~! Wahahaha!"

We enter as a group. I look around once we're inside. It really doesn't look like a 'Shanghai.' The name brings to mind elaborately decorated paper screens and a very imperial China feel. This place looks is the size of a small family restaurant and is decorated like a very plain coffee house. It feels very western, like something you could find without too much trouble in America. Still, even with such an ill-fitting name, it's a nice place.

"Hello, welcome to the Shanghai!" We're greeted by a girl with longish red hair and glasses wearing a very tea-housey pink apron and hair bun nets. She bows with all the grace of a pneumatic axe in a very rushed, jerky way. "Please, have a seat. Do you need some time to order?" She sounds a bit strained, as though she were trying to force herself to keep calm.

Misha beams. "Hi Yuuko~! Shicchan and I were just showing Taicchan here around town!" Shizune signs something to her briefly. "Wahahaha~! We'll have the usual! What about you, Taicchan? What'll you have?"

Well gee, thanks for giving me time to order. "Err, do you have coffee?"

What? I like coffee, whatever time of day it is.

"Yes, we do. Do you want just a regular coffee, or a flavored one? Any sugar? Sweetener? Cream? Or, or don't you want any? Just black?" She seems to panic a little more every second I don't reply.

"Uh, just bring a regular black coffee." I think it helps her calm down, if not by much. She gives another quick bow that might prove fatal is it meets any resistance, and scurries off.

"She seems… comfortable."

Shizune signs. "Wahahaha! That's just how Yuuko is~!"

Living around here clearly does wonders for your sanity, then. Panicked though she may be, however, she seems to work quickly. Faster than I thought it was possible to make so much as a sandwich she's back with my coffee, two cups of tea, a parfait, and a sandwich. I'm worried it'll all go tumbling down as she skitters across the tea house faster than looks safe, everything on her tray wobbling to a point just shy of actually falling over. As the tray clatters down on the table, I feel a slight panic rise inside of me as drops of drink rise up out of their cups and a great rattling can be heard as the dishes bounce around. Miraculously, nothing falls, and everything settles down into its proper place. I release a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and look up at the girls.

"How did she do that without spilling anything? She's either really good or really lucky."

Misha beams. "Both~! Wahahaha!"

I smile and nod in agreement. The coffee is pretty good without anything added, which I'm glad about, since I really don't want to call Yuuko over for fear that she'll think she made a mistake. I watch the two girls as they eat, wishing I'd had time to look at the menu. In my time of knowing them, I've noticed that Shizune and Misha seem to move quickly, barely giving the world around them time to react. It almost feels as though they're trying to maintain a perpetual element of surprise. Though perhaps 'trying' isn't the right word. No, it's more like being a step ahead is just their natural state. I think this over for a while, and before I realize it, they're done and my coffee is getting cold.

"Hey, Taicchan, Shicchan and I have been thinking that since you helped out so much before we left that you should think about joining the Student Council~! We'd get to know each other so well, and once you're all better you can really help out a lot! Wahahaha~!"

Go figure. That was probably the plan all along. Still, I'm not really surprised. May as well not act like it. "I was wondering when you were planning on asking. Look, I've been here for two days, not even. I barely know anyone here, I'm a little behind in classes, and I'm still adjusting to everything that's been going on in my life recently. I'm not saying no, understand, just that I'm not really in any place to decide yet. I'll get back to you when I feel like I'm ready to make a decision though, I promise. Just give me time to sort everything out."

Misha seems a bit disappointed, but Shizune nods her head, seeming to understand. She signs back to Misha as I finish off my coffee. Misha brightens up.

"Okay Taicchan~! Just remember- you promised, so now you have to give us an answer sooner or later! Wahahaha!"

I nod. "I know. Hey, we should head back. By the way, I kind of need one of you to push me back. I don't want my battery to die on the way to my dorm or something. I'm sorry; I know it'll make talking pretty much impossible."

Shizune signs. "It's okay Taicchan, we understand!"

The trip back home is, thus, very quiet. It's nice to see the town so quiet and peaceful as the evening comes to a close. It's calming. When we finally reach the dorms, I think them for the trip and head inside. I grab a few snacks from the snack machine to help stave off the hunger I'm going to inevitably feel in the morning and head over to my room. I'm almost done unlocking and opening my door when a door across the hall creaks open slowly. Room 118.

Kenji.

The door suddenly bursts open as Kenji flings himself out into the hall. "Hold it right there! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Seriously? "I'm Tai. We've met."

Kenji narrows his eyes at me behind his thick glasses. "Don't move! If you're really Tai, you won't have any reason to object!" Before I can ask what I could be objecting to, Kenji is back in my face with a hand planted on my left arm to hold it down. I resist the urge to pull back, not wanting to scare him, and do my best to keep an uncomfortable look off my face. Kenji's face suddenly brightens, and he releases me.

"Okay. It's you. Sorry, but you can never be too careful. Anyway, 'sup? Haven't seen you all day."

"I've been in class. Then I went out to lunch with this short girl who knocked my over in the hall- Emi, I think- and I just now got back from being shown around town by the Student Council."

Kenji's expression jumps between shock, anger, and horror. Oh god, what did I do this time? Rather than explode, however, Kenji adjusts his glasses and sighs. "It's worse than I thought…"

I'm not sure it's a good idea or if I really want to find out, but I ask anyway. "What is?"

Kenji stares at me, a grim look crossing his face. "I was hoping it would take them longer, but I'm afraid they've forced my hand. I wanted to give you a chance to figure it out yourself, but that's clearly no longer an option. Listen close, man, because what I'm about to tell you will blow. Your. Mind."

Oh, what have I done? I regret this already.

"You've probably noticed, but this school, Yamaku? It's full, I mean packed like a sardine can full of cute girls. Not just that, but there's quite a few more of them than there are men here. Sure, that SOUNDS great, yeah? But no, there' something much darker at work here. Much deeper, and much more sinister. No, dude, Yamaku isn't some garden of babes. Yamaku is the site of a major feminist conspiracy, a stepping stone for a larger movement that aims to destroy everything man stands for. And you've already gotten yourself tangled up with some of the key players in that very conspiracy."

I'm dumbstruck. He's serious. Oh my god, he's serious. I mean, what the hell?! What is this shit he's spewing?! Does he have any inkling of just how… how ridiculous he sounds?! Is everyone here insane?

Kenji smiles. "I know. It's a lot to take in. But look- now you know. Now you can see it, and once you see it, you can never un-see it, like a really gross picture or video or whatever. Like that. Anyway, now that you can see it, you can protect yourself, and I can help you. I mean, after all, guys like us have to stick together, or else it's even more dangerous."

I struggle to come up with something to say. "Uh, yeah, sure. Hey, thanks for telling me all that, uh… that, but you're right, it is a lot to take in. So, uh, maybe it should wait until tomorrow, after I have some time to sleep on it."

Kenji nods. "It's cool, dude. Just keep your eyes open. It's out there." He smiles at me. "Well, I'll let you think about it. Later dude."

"Yeah, later Kenji."

Just like that, he's gone, slamming the door behind him. Well, it won't be a dull year, that's for sure. I turn and get ready to open the door when I pause to brace myself. Yep. It's back. That sinking feeling in my gut, like I'm getting sucked into the ground. It's my bed, framed by the darkness of the night. I hastily flick on the light.

Just like that, it's a regular bed. Nope, nothing wrong here, just one insane kid in a while damn lunatic asylum of cripples. Nothing odd at all. I get myself ready for bed, settling for just sleeping in my shorts since getting completely changed on my own is something I deem a little too complicated for sleeping in my current state. I move over to the wall by my bed and, deciding against switching off the lights, plug in my chair. The power cord is long enough that I can sort of partially roll over to the side of my bed. With a little effort, I manage to climb out of my chair and onto my bed. I play with the heart sensor until I get it on my finger, then press the button to tell the nursing staff it's on.

I decide the position I'm in, lying on top of my sheets, is taking enough risk with my new phobia. I close my eyes and try to sleep. I've never been able to sleep in the light, though, so I just lie there for a while.

My alarm goes off. I groan and flail about, trying to shut it up. At last, I manage. I feel like a need a car jack and some nail polish remover to get my eyes open; they feel that heavy and glued shut. I somehow manage to get my heart monitor off, roll into my wheelchair, and get to the bathroom with my things for a shower. I feel a little less dead afterwards, but not my much. I'm so tired. It's not okay. At all. If this is what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life, I wonder…

Do I even really want it?


End file.
